424 research outputs found
Content Validity Analyses of Qualitative Feedback on the Revised Assessment, Evaluation, and Programming System for Infants and Children (AEPS) Test
Early childhood assessment practices, procedures, and tools can lay the foundation for an effective intervention program. The purpose of this article is to report the results of a content validity study conducted on a revision of Assessment, Evaluation, and Programming System for infants and children (AEPSÂź) Test, a widely used early childhood assessment/evaluation instrument. A panel of early childhood and early childhood special educator experts was assembled and asked to provide qualitative feedback on the content of the revised AEPS Test. Experts were asked to address five specific questions about item content, developmental sequences, and if assessment items represented quality teaching targets for young children. Qualitative results were used to modify items, developmental sequences, and area content
Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Breast and Colorectal Cancer Survivors: Effects on Cancer-Related Cognitive Impairment
Purpose
Cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) is a common, fatigue-related symptom that disrupts cancer survivorsâ quality of life. Few interventions for CRCI exist. As part of a randomized pilot study targeting cancer-related fatigue, the effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on survivorsâ cognitive outcomes were investigated.
Methods
Breast and colorectal cancer survivors (nâ=â71) with moderate-to-severe fatigue were randomized to MBSR (nâ=â35) or a fatigue education and support (ES; nâ=â36) condition. The Attentional Function Index (AFI) and the Stroop test were used to assess survivorsâ cognitive function at baseline (T1), after the 8-week intervention period (T2), and 6 months later (T3) using intent-to-treat analysis. Mediation analyses were performed to explore mechanisms of intervention effects on cognitive functioning.
Results
MBSR participants reported significantly greater improvement on the AFI total score compared to ES participants at T2 (dâ=â0.83, pâ=â0.001) and T3 (dâ=â0.55, pâ=â0.021). MBSR also significantly outperformed ES on most AFI subscales, although both groups improved over time. MBSR produced greater Stroop accuracy rates relative to ES at T2 (râ=â0.340, pâ=â0.005) and T3 (râ=â0.280, pâ=â0.030), with improved accuracy over time only for the MBSR group. There were no significant differences in Stroop reaction time between groups. Improvements in mindfulness mediated the effect of group (e.g., MBSR vs. ES) on AFI total score at T2 and T3.
Conclusions
Additional randomized trials with more comprehensive cognitive measures are warranted to definitively assess the efficacy of MBSR for CRCI.
Implications for Cancer Survivors
This pilot study has important implications for all cancer survivors as it is the first published trial to show that MBSR offers robust and durable improvements in CRCI
Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Compared to Psychoeducational Support for Persistently Fatigued Breast and Colorectal Cancer Survivors
Purpose
Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a disruptive symptom for many survivors. Despite promising evidence for efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in reducing CRF, no trials comparing it to an active comparator for fatigued survivors have been published. The purpose of this trial was to compare MBSR to psychoeducation for CRF and associated symptoms.
Methods
Breast (n=60) and colorectal (n=11) cancer survivors (stage 0âIII) with clinically significant CRF after completing chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy an average of 28 months prior to enrollment were randomized to MBSR or psychoeducation/support groups (PES). MBSR focused on mindfulness training; PES focused on CRF self-management. Outcomes included CRF interference (primary), CRF severity and global improvement, vitality, depression, anxiety, sleep disturbance, and pain. Outcomes were assessed at baseline (T1), post-intervention (T2), and 6-month follow-up (T3) using intent-to-treat analysis.
Results
Between-group differences in CRF interference were not significant at any time point; however, there was a trend favoring MBSR (d=â0.46, p=0.073) at T2. MBSR participants reported significantly greater improvement in vitality (d=0.53, p=0.003) and were more likely to report CRF as moderately-to-completely improved compared to the PES group (Ï2 (1)=4.1765, p=0.041) at T2. MBSR participants also reported significantly greater reductions in pain at T2 (d=0.53, p=0.014). In addition, both MBSR and PES produced moderate-to-large and significant within-group improvements in all fatigue outcomes, depression, anxiety, and sleep at T2 and T3 compared to T1.
Conclusion
MBSR and PES appear efficacious for CRF and related symptoms. Larger trials including a usual care arm are warranted
Creation and Implementation of a Large-Scale Geriatric Interprofessional Education Experience
The care of the older adult requires an interprofessional approach to solve complex medical and social problems, but this approach is difficult to teach in our educational silos. We developed an interprofessional educational session in response to national requests for innovative practice models that use collaborative interprofessional teams. We chose geriatric fall prevention as our area of focus as our development of the educational session coincided with the development of an interprofessional Fall Risk Reduction Clinic. Our aim of this study was to evaluate the number and type of students who attended a pilot and 10 subsequent educational sessions. We also documented the changes that occurred due to a Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) rapid-cycle improvement model to modify our educational session. The educational session evolved into an online presession self-study didactic and in-person educational session with a poster/skill section, an interprofessional team simulation, and simulated patient experience. The simulated patient experience included an interprofessional fall evaluation, team meeting, and presentation to an expert panel. The pilot session had 83 students from the three sponsoring institutions (hospital system, university, and medical university). Students were from undergraduate nursing, nurse practitioner graduate program, pharmacy, medicine, social work, physical therapy, nutrition, and pastoral care. Since the pilot, 719 students have participated in various manifestations of the online didactic plus in-person training sessions. Ten separate educational sessions have been given at three different institutions. Survey data with demographic information were available on 524 participants. Students came from ten different schools and represented thirteen different health care disciplines. A large-scale interprofessional educational session is possible with rapid-cycle improvement, inclusion of educators from a variety of learning institutions, and flexibility with curriculum to accommodate learners in various stages of training
The Hubble Deep Field South Flanking Fields
As part of the Hubble Deep Field South program, a set of shorter 2-orbit
observations were obtained of the area adjacent to the deep fields. The WFPC2
flanking fields cover a contiguous solid angle of 48 square arcminutes.
Parallel observations with the STIS and NICMOS instruments produce a patchwork
of additional fields with optical and near-infrared (1.6 micron) response.
Deeper parallel exposures with WFPC2 and NICMOS were obtained when STIS
observed the NICMOS deep field. These deeper fields are offset from the rest,
and an extended low surface brightness object is visible in the deeper WFPC2
flanking field. In this data paper, which serves as an archival record of the
project, we discuss the observations and data reduction, and present SExtractor
source catalogs and number counts derived from the data. Number counts are
broadly consistent with previous surveys from both ground and space. Among
other things, these flanking field observations are useful for defining slit
masks for spectroscopic follow-up over a wider area around the deep fields, for
studying large-scale structure that extends beyond the deep fields, for future
supernova searches, and for number counts and morphological studies, but their
ultimate utility will be defined by the astronomical community.Comment: 46 pages, 15 figures. Images and full catalogs available via the
HDF-S at http://www.stsci.edu/ftp/science/hdfsouth/hdfs.html at present. The
paper is accepted for the February 2003 Astronomical Journal. Full versions
of the catalogs will also be available on-line from AJ after publicatio
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A risk prediction model for the assessment and triage of women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in low-resourced settings: the miniPIERS (Pre-eclampsia Integrated Estimate of RiSk) multi-country prospective cohort study.
BACKGROUND: Pre-eclampsia/eclampsia are leading causes of maternal mortality and morbidity, particularly in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs). We developed the miniPIERS risk prediction model to provide a simple, evidence-based tool to identify pregnant women in LMICs at increased risk of death or major hypertensive-related complications. METHODS AND FINDINGS: From 1 July 2008 to 31 March 2012, in five LMICs, data were collected prospectively on 2,081 women with any hypertensive disorder of pregnancy admitted to a participating centre. Candidate predictors collected within 24 hours of admission were entered into a step-wise backward elimination logistic regression model to predict a composite adverse maternal outcome within 48 hours of admission. Model internal validation was accomplished by bootstrapping and external validation was completed using data from 1,300 women in the Pre-eclampsia Integrated Estimate of RiSk (fullPIERS) dataset. Predictive performance was assessed for calibration, discrimination, and stratification capacity. The final miniPIERS model included: parity (nulliparous versus multiparous); gestational age on admission; headache/visual disturbances; chest pain/dyspnoea; vaginal bleeding with abdominal pain; systolic blood pressure; and dipstick proteinuria. The miniPIERS model was well-calibrated and had an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC ROC) of 0.768 (95% CI 0.735-0.801) with an average optimism of 0.037. External validation AUC ROC was 0.713 (95% CI 0.658-0.768). A predicted probability â„25% to define a positive test classified women with 85.5% accuracy. Limitations of this study include the composite outcome and the broad inclusion criteria of any hypertensive disorder of pregnancy. This broad approach was used to optimize model generalizability. CONCLUSIONS: The miniPIERS model shows reasonable ability to identify women at increased risk of adverse maternal outcomes associated with the hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. It could be used in LMICs to identify women who would benefit most from interventions such as magnesium sulphate, antihypertensives, or transportation to a higher level of care
Creation of an NCI comparative brain tumor consortium: informing the translation of new knowledge from canine to human brain tumor patients
On September 14â15, 2015, a meeting of clinicians and investigators in the fields of veterinary and human neuro-oncology, clinical trials, neuropathology, and drug development was convened at the National Institutes of Health campus in Bethesda, Maryland. This meeting served as the inaugural event launching a new consortium focused on improving the knowledge, development of, and access to naturally occurring canine brain cancer, specifically glioma, as a model for human disease. Within the meeting, a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) assessment was undertaken to critically evaluate the role that naturally occurring canine brain tumors could have in advancing this aspect of comparative oncology aimed at improving outcomes for dogs and human beings. A summary of this meeting and subsequent discussion are provided to inform the scientific and clinical community of the potential for this initiative. Canine and human comparisons represent an unprecedented opportunity to complement conventional brain tumor research paradigms, addressing a devastating disease for which innovative diagnostic and treatment strategies are clearly needed
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